A printer can be used for printing on a variety of print media. Media sensors are conventionally used for tracking print media traveling through the printer. For example, an exemplary media sensor known as a gap sensor may be used for detecting gaps, holes, notches, black marks, etc. between individual print medium of non-continuous print media to control how the printer feeds the print media to the print head, the print media type referred to as a Gap/Notch type or a Black Mark type.
The gap sensor is conventionally located at a distance from the thermal print head. Printer software conventionally includes an algorithm that is used to calculate and compensate for the distance when controlling how the printer feeds the print media to the thermal print head so that there is proper registration. However, due to different print speeds, friction, print media material, image drift, etc. during printing or calibration, or arithmetic rounding in the algorithm, there may be a discrepancy in the actual distance traveled by the print media from the gap sensor to the thermal print head, causing print registration errors.
Therefore, a need exists for thermal print heads and printers including the same that provide highly accurate precision printing. A further need exists for thermal print heads and printers including the same that are particularly useful for providing precision printing on small individual print medium and reducing print registration errors.